Andy Warhol: $ 1 (Dollar) (F&S 278)
Andy Warhol: $ 1 (Dollar) (F&S 278) framed
Andy Warhol
19 3/4 x 15 3/4 in.
Framed
In $ (1) Dollar from 1982, Andy Warhol distils one of his most persistent obsessions: money, into pure visual form. Created during a period of intense self-reflection and financial success, the Dollar Sign series explores the relationship between art, value, and commerce, themes that had underpinned Warhol’s career since his early days as a commercial illustrator. Here, he literalises the link between money and art, transforming the graphic symbol of the dollar into an expressive and iconic image.
Technically, $ (1) demonstrates Warhol’s mature command of silkscreen printing. Unlike his earlier, mechanically flat works, the Dollar Signs began with hand-painted marks that were subsequently screened, allowing traces of gesture and spontaneity to remain visible beneath the crisp contours of the print. The vibrant layering of red, blue, and yellow pigments creates a painterly surface that merges Pop Art’s detachment with a renewed sense of artistic authorship.
Art historically, the Dollar Sign series can be read as both self-parody and manifesto. By elevating the currency symbol to fine art, Warhol collapses distinctions between aesthetic and economic value — a fitting commentary in the booming 1980s art market that he helped define. $ (1) stands as a quintessential Warhol image: seductive, ironic, and unmistakably American.
Provenance
Private collection, UKPublished by Andy Warhol, New York; and printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, New York